Tuesday, April 15, 2008

a good read

ABookworm asked me these three questions:Name an author (or authors) you wish would stop writing?Name an author (or authors) you wish would never stop writing?andWhy do you read?

I read because I enjoy it. I enjoy immersing myself into a good book, where the characters become real and it feels like you're part of the story. Books open up worlds that I wouldn't normally experience. And I also find that I learn new things through books, and I enjoy learning. It may be trivial, but even a simple novel can teach me something.

I love this quote about books and it explains how I feel when I read.

A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man's mind can get both provocation and privacy. ~Edward P. Morgan

I can't really think of an answer for that first question. There's been books I haven't enjoyed but I just don't read that author again.

There is one author that I wished had never stopped writing. That would be LaVyrle Spencer. She wrote romance novels and I read every one of them back when my kids were babies. Most of them were period pieces that took place in the old west. I enjoyed [most of] them tremendously.

Some of my other favorite authors is Max Lucado, Jodi Picoult, Dan Brown, Sue Monk Kidd, John Grisham, and Nora Roberts. Although I don't really read romance novels any more so it's been a while since I've read Nora Roberts.

While I'm on the subject of books and reading, I'll just mention that it's taking me forever to get through my current read. It's been over a month since I started Jodi Picoult's Nineteen Minutes. The problem is that the subject matter is affecting me deeply.

It's about a school shooting similar to the Columbine tragedy. That's exactly why I wanted to read it. But it goes into detail of how the boy was bullied and the psychological reasons he felt like he needed and wanted to strike back. There have been times when I've read only a few pages and felt like crying as my heart breaks for any kid who endures such hardships - even fictional kids in a book. Hopefully I'll be able to finish it soon as I know what my next book will be... Angels and Demons by Dan Brown.

Wow. I love today's questions and answers. I so agree with you about "why" you read. I love to learn and always do, even from a novel. And I love the excitement of vicariously visiting the wilds of Africa or the alleyways of Victorian London, and on and on. And you can do it without fear of getting eaten by a cannibal or mugged by a thug. Although, I often become so attached to my characters that it might as well be me when disaster strikes them. :)Nineteen Minutes? I wouldn't want to read it. I already know the sadness and pain of the kids who commit these terrible crimes. It is always for me very hard to see them as anything but victims themselves. I never excuse such awful actions, but a lack of love in the world is responsible, not a child. This is a pretty simplistic thing to say, but I feel you get my point.And like Mighty MOm said, I've experienced my share as well.Nancy